Jackson woman, 25, recovers from heart surgery

At 25 years old, Laura Jones of Jackson has her life ahead of her. She is working two jobs and is attending real estate school. Almost five years ago, however, a bright future looked a little less likely.

"I lost a baby in December of 2004, and in January of 2005 I discovered I had a neurological disorder," Jones said. She was diagnosed with Syndenham's chorea, an involuntary movement disorder.

"I had no control over my motor movements at all. I couldn't feed myself, would knock stuff over all the time. I was only 20," she said.

While undergoing treatment for her chorea, Jones received another piece of bad news.

"I found out I had a tumor, or what they called an atrial myxoma, on my mitral valve," she said.

A myxoma is a type of tumor that originates in the heart. Although a myxoma is not a cancerous tumor, complications are common and can include arrhythmia, pulmonary edema, spread of the tumor and blockage of the mitral heart valve.

Jones had always been healthy and active in dance and sports, so the news surprised her. She underwent surgery at Southeast Missouri Hospital within days of her tumor being discovered. Surgeons replaced her mitral valve with a mechanical valve made of titanium.

Jones suffered no complications and had a complete recovery. After spending a week in the hospital, she underwent rehabilitation at home and returned to her jobs at the Jackson Walmart and Dance Extensions in Jackson within a few months.

Despite having open heart surgery, the gravity of what she had undergone did not sink in until she was at a party some time after the operation.

"An elderly man came up to me and welcomed me to the zipper club. I didn't know what he was talking about until he pointed to my surgery scar that kind of looks like a zipper. It was peeking up from my shirt," Jones said. Once she started sharing war stories with a much older generation, she started to realize how fortunate she was to be healthy and looking forward to her future.

"I now have no restrictions," Jones said. She said she continues to take medication, six pills every night.

Jones admits she get tired a lot but recognizes that could be a result of working two jobs and going to school, not necessarily from her health conditions. As for her future, Jones looks forward to completing her real estate classes and starting a new career.

"I started real estate school this month," she said. "I really enjoy it."